Yashio Doshin Hiroshi
Yashio Doshin Hiroshi is one of the most renowned and powerful Yamabushi Kora in history, who is known for his legendary wisdom, mastery of Ki and skills in katana kata. Yashio serves as a member of the Yamabushi High Counci. In his centuries of service to the Order and Ki, Yashio had a hand in the training of many Yamabush in the Order, including such luminaries as Togashi Mitsu, Kazumi Hirum and Ishida Hanzo. Yashio has served as a member of the Order for 85 years, eventually gaining a seat on the High Council. He has exceptional skills in Katana kata, most commonly employing whirling and acrobatic Hyoho Niten Ichi technique. Yashio is a master of nearly all katana katas and is considered by many as a swordmaster. Though arguably the Order's greatest master of Ki and most skilled warrior, Yashio believes most firmly in the importance of instructing younger generations and never missed an opportunity to ensure his students learn from their experiences. At heart, the Master was a teacher. Yashio is, arguably, the most highly Force-attuned member of the Order, and by 1960, Yashio had been granted the title and rank of Kora and had begun the training of his first student, who would be one of the many Deshi Yashio would train over the long centuries of his life. Yashio returned to the Temple in Kyoto in search of a new Deshi. There among the sparing Initiates, the Master discovered young Hosokawa Kojiro, who proved strong with Ki, and took him to be trained as a Yamabushi. 20 years after taking Hosokawa as a Deshi, Yashio, along with other great Kora of the age, discovered that the shape of Ki had begun to flux, becoming murky and uncertain. Studying the perplexing mystery in silent meditation, the High Council, of which Yashio was now a senior member, was unanimous; the power of Akki was growing within Hagurosan Kōtakuji Shōzenin Temple. The Council and the other Yamabushi believed this indicated students tapping into Akki. After a quiet, yet intense investigation, several of the younger Deshi had been found to have formed a breakaway sect—the Seiro-led by Hosokawa. Their heresy was not welcomed by the Council, and Yashio led the campaign to expel them from the order. Before he could be expelled, Hosokawa raided the archives, stealing many secret scrolls to advance his own personal power. When this theft was discovered, the Council created a Yamabushi strike team of twelve, Led by Yashio, to track the Seiro and retrieve the scrolls. Engagement with Seiro forces were confusing and contradictory, so Yashio took it upon himself to track the Seiro alone, and soon captured a Seiro warrior. Yashio interrogated the Seiro and asked him the location of their High Command. The soldier responded to the Master by telling him that he did not know since he was only an ordinary soldier. The Seiro was mind-tricked to reveal the location of the scrolls and the High Command. The Seiro was resistant at first, but the power of Yashio was too much for the former Koshogumi,who reluctantly revealed the location of the High Command. Following the successful raid on the Temple, the Yamabushi strike team continued to engage the Seiro, while Yashio discovered the location of the Seiro's High Command. He led the Yamabushi attack on the their secret base in the mountains, concluding the uprising. This''' base''' was the first base used by the Seiro and was located in the mountains of northern Honshu. It was made of wood, and was intended only to be a temporary base for the cult. Not long after the alttack, the remaining Seiro abandoned it forever. Yashio had an encounter with Hosokawa. After dueling with the fallen Yamabushi, that final confrontation resulted in Hosokawa's suicide, jumping off the mountain instead of surrendering. Though a major threat to the Order was now eliminated, it was a disturbing ending to a dark chapter in Yashio's life. Initially, Yashio was worried about taking another Deshi, as his last Deshi fell to the dark side. 8 years since Hosokawa's betrayal, Kawakami Gensai, a fellow Council member, encouraged Yashio to take another Deshi. Though Yashio had already made up his mind to remain alone, he agreed to at least observe a small tournament among a group of the Temple's older students, but shortly before the tournament, he left heading for Ireland, by orders of the Head Council to investigate the murder of Yamabushi Kora Saito Issen. In ireland, Yashio sensed a the presence of a powerful Akuso, so powerful, it had to be the presence of A kyu Meiyuu. He tracked the "scent" until he was headed off by two Akuso warriors, Ishida Hanzo, then, Akuinakka, and a Chunin named Tani Sanjuno had hunted the Master. Tani confronted him and was determined to destroy this threat to their Master. Ishida—who had since completed the training of the Akuso, was deeply troubled by the thought of another murder and as Tani raised his sword, Ishida blocked his blow—answering the challenge of the young Genin, the two engaged in battle. As Tani fell, dead, Yashio discovered Ishida could be redeemed, and took him as his new Deshi. Ishida led his new Master to Shimada's Acadamy, and there the three engaged in a furious duel. The trio fought through the many small corridors. On a catwalk across the trianing room the duel raged for a long time, Shimada being a more formidable opponent than either Yamabushi had ever faced before; wielding his double bladed staff with vicious efficiency. However, despite Shimada's seeming dominance on the battlefield, he continually gave ground over the entire battle. Ishida was knocked down across the hall by Shimada, and by the time he caught up to the two combatants, they had rengaged in battle. Being considered one of the best lightsaber duelists in the Jedi Order, Yashio eventually succeeded in slicing the Dark Lord's double-bladed staff in half, leaving Shimada with two blades. He flung himself at Ishida, but Yashio jumped, and landed himself before his Deshi killing Shimada with a single sweeping death blow. For four years, They went on numerous missions across Ireland, attempting to bring an end to the damage already wrought by Shimada's Chunin. On one notable mission, the two went deep into the mountains to track a Hakaisou, Noguchi Kenji. He was a Yamabushi who had fallen to the temptation of Akki, but was not an Akuso. He had hidden himself deep in the mountains where he meditated and trained, contacting Akki. He had killed several people in a quest to expand his power through absorbtion. Sensing a volitile, dark tremor in Ki, Yashio led his Deshi into the mountains. He searched for Noguchi's conection, but the Hakaisou was cunning in his madness and hid his presence from the Master. While Yashio waited for the fallen monk to reveal himself, Ishida had become infatuated with a local girl. Grudgingly, the Master allowed the relationship to continue. While in the mountains, Yashio was reaquainted with Vincent Campbell who had helped in locating Shimada's Academy. Together they tracked Noguchi to a mountain cave. Yashio, returning with his Deshi alone, challegened the mad Hakaisou, attempting to bring him alive,. Noguchi leapt the alter he meditated on and at the Yamabushi, attacking before his feet had even touched the ground. Surprised by the Hakaisou's speed and ferocity, Yashio barely managed to block the attack. As he landed, he quickly followed up with an overhand, which Yashio deflected before attacking himself. As Noguchi blocked Yashi's blow, Ishida launch his own offensive, but Noguchi easily brushed off his overhand and knocked the Deshi aside with a blast of Akki. Unleashing his own frenzy of attacks, Yashio was viciously driven back, barely able to protect himself, against Noguchi's katana kata. Despite his own valiant efforts, Yashio simply could not find an opening. As Yashio blocked a leaping slash from Noguchi and countered, Ishida quickly leapt at the Hakaisou, and severed his sword arm, allowing Yashio to fdeal the death blow. Noguchi defeated, the two Yamabushi left the mountains. It would not be until 2006, that again they would face an Akuso. Kim, who was infatuated with Ishida (and vice-versa), was abducted by Kurokage and against his orders Ishida tracked Kim accompanied by another Yamabushi, Nakamura Hanjiro. Upon arriving at Kurokage's Academy, The Yamabushi challenged the Akuso. Soon, Nakamura lay dead, and as Kurokage attempted to kill Ishida by stabbing him through the groin, slowly, with his own fallen sword, Yashio appeared and shattered the sword, leaving several shards embeded in Ishida's groin. Kurokage briefly caught his breath, before attempting to kill Yashio by telekinetically ripping wall fixtures out of the Academy's sides and hurling them at Yashio. When the ancient Yamabushi blocked, Kurokage countered by ripping chunks of stone out of the hangar ceiling, a dangerous proposition as the Academy was carved out of stone and doing so could cause a cave-in. Yashio caught the chunks and threw them aside, turning to Kurokage and acknowledging his power, but noting that he sensed Akki in the young Akuso. Kurokage, affirming his apparent superior power, unleashed a barrage of Akki energy bolts at Yashio. The Yamabushi caught the bolts and deflected them back at Kurokage, who again deflected it into a nearby wall. Korukage proceeded to unleash a second blast against Yashio, but as a show of his mastery, Yashio absorbed the bolt completely, with no need for deflection. Kurokage brandished his katana, Yashio drew his own weapon. Driven back by Yashio and realizing that he could not win, Kurokage distracted Yashio by using Akki to topple one of the Academy's columns onto Ishida. As Yashio broke off to telekinetically catch the column, Kurokage was able to quickly escape. Their next duel would be against Okada Iso, the last surviving member of the Ku Meiyuu, the cult that founded the Akuso order. Okada had fled Rikikan no Zennousha-Tou, the fortress of the Ku Meiyuu, after Shimada had killed Fujiwara and proclaimed himself the new Kage. He eventually made his way to Brazil, where he founded a Temple to Akki and his fallen Master. He and his Acolytes enslaved the local Awa tribe. Rumors spread of the last true Lord of Ambu and Yashio and his Deshi were sent to investigate. They dueled each of Okada's twenty followers as they made their way through the impresive stone structure until they reached Okada's meditation room. As the duel began, Okada proved that he was able to hold his own against the Yamabushi, Ishida sent a Ki blast, Okada answered by throwing a bench at him. The Yamabushi attacked together, forcing Okada to back off in the face of his assault. Soon they forced him into the corridor of his Temple, where their battle became even more violent as they made their way to the higher levels. Viciously utilizing Akki against Yashio, Okada hurled him backwards; he attempted to retaliate in kind by hurling loose debris at the Ku Meiyuu, but he deflected them, Akki pushing Yashio against a wall so hard that it shattered. The duel soon resumed its violent tattoo as Ishida defended his fallen master. Okada was able to Ishida's katanar out of his hand, but before he could capitalize on this opportunity for a killing blow, he responded by catching him by the wrists. Drawing upon his Ki, he pushed Okada against the far wall. Taking up his katana again, Ishida continued to strike at Okada with vicious slashing attacks and power lunges, driving her back to a corner where his large sword would be useless.. He struck harder and harder until the force from the attacks made him drop his no dachi. Placing his katana edge at Okada's throat, and now with Yashio at his side, tried to take Okada into custody, but he refused, and Yashio was forced to decapitate the final Ku Meiyuu. Taking the Semegu, they fled the Temple as it began to fall around them. It is the last mission performed by Yashio to date.'' ''